African Americans started putting down roots in Madison in the 1800s. A new collection of oral histories from the descendants of these pioneers capture what life was like for these early settlers.Read more

For the fifth annual social justice conference, UW-Madison’s School of Social Work wanted to hear from people who know the social work system better than anyone — the people who grew up in it.Read more

Sherman Middle School ended last year in turmoil, with the resignation of its principal and accusations of racism. An interim principal is trying to heal the wounds, but mistrust and skepticism remain.Read more

Middleton-Cross Plains elementary teachers asked to reexamine using Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books after the popular “Little House on the Prairie” author’s name is removed from a major children’s book award.Read more

The Ku Klux Klan had a presence at UW-Madison in the 1920s, and the university is in the midst of reckoning with its racist history — both the lingering climate of intolerance and the physical spaces named for KKK members.Read more

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan says he never thought his opinion of President Donald Trump could be any lower. Then he toured the detention centers where immigrant children have been taken away from their parents and held in cages.Read more

Once dormant, the Madison chapter of the National Organization for Women has seen a huge revival thanks to activism spurred by the election of President Donald Trump. This time, the movement will be intersectional.Read more

Madison hosted one of the largest rallies last year to coincide with the national Women’s March, but not this year. Organizers instead held rallies in other cities to highlight the struggles and successes of people of color and elevate youth.Read more

Research has shown that students of color do much better when some of their teachers look like them. But only 13 percent of Madison’s teachers are of color, while 57 percent of its students are. What is the district doing to improve the ratio?Read more

The proposed bill provides that protests and demonstrations “that interfere with the rights of others to engage in or listen to expressive activity shall not be permitted and shall be subject to sanction.”Read more

Vanessa McDowell, the first woman of color to lead the Madison YWCA, wants the organization to be more forceful in fighting racism and poverty. “My vision is that we get rid of that tale of two cities.”Read more